Gina Rinehart hates the label “Australia’s richest person”. So how will she and the rest of the country react when (not if) she ranks as the “world’s richest”, as can be forecast using the latest research? asks Tim Treadgold.

Forbes has released its 2009 list of the wealthiest people in the US. This year, America’s billionaires have gotten poorer, with their collective worth dropping $300 billion. But, y’know: they’re still billionaires.